Janet Goldblatt Holmes

As a survivor of sexual violence who’d been silent much of her life about abuse suffered as a young woman, Janet says that “something triggered, in a good way,” when she found Center for Story & Witness.

“Creative programs are so important to a survivor’s healing,” she says. “After taking part in The Stories We Tell testimonial writing workshop myself, and being completely changed by it, I wanted to help other survivors discover it.” In that spirit, Janet has been a driving force behind the development of the writing program in Canada and the United States, dramatically expanding communications and outreach.

Janet has written on her experience of sexual violence in Tikkun, The Art of Healing, The Toronto Globe and Mail, and the collection of essays Things We Haven’t Said. She draws on her Jewish spirituality in advocating for others caught in cycles of violence, and she has spoken at synagogues about sexual violence, the Holocaust, and the generational continuum of violence and abuse.